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Having watched the Azumanga Daioh anime before reading through the manga, I have a different and perhaps backwards view on the Azumanga story. Either way, the Azumanga Daioh manga is a very enjoyable, highly readable, and easy to follow title. It may be said that Azumanga Daioh is required reading for any salt-worthy anime fan.

The Azumanga manga is almost flawless. I can't think of anything to complain about or point out as a flaw. The only thing that might be an issue is that some (as in very few, maybe 2-3) text-boxes are too crammed with text, making the text small and hard to ... read. But if you get the Azumanga Daioh Omnibus, which contains all four Azumanga mangas in one set, you won't have an issue because the omnibus is huge and "blown-up," so that even tiny text is easy to read. And for that matter, art-work that features a lot of detail in a small area is now vibrant and beautiful, and the characters look shaper than Osaka's wit.

If you have a choice between the smaller, individual mangas or the omnibus, I recommend the bigger, complete omnibus. Unless you don't want to lug around the rather large tome, and prefer a small compact single manga.

I have only read the ADV Manga translations of the Azumanga Daioh manga in the Omnibus version. I very much want to read other translations someday soon, such as the Yen Press version of the Omnibus, which is an improved version of the ADV Manga Omnibus. The Yen Press Azumanga Daioh Omnibus features an entirely new translation, full-color pictures of the Azu-Crew in between each chapter, (this not only serves as some neat art-work to look at, but a very clear message that a new chapter is beginning) and brand-new, never before read content that expands on the lifes of the girls and their accomplices.

In any form or translation, Azumanga Daioh is a juggernaught title of the anime world, and if you haven't read it yet, you're a bonkler.

SATA-ANDAGI!

Sora no Woto is a beautiful and triumphant tale of humanity, morality, war, and peace. One of the best animes to come out in recent years, and possibly of all time. It’s certainly one of the best I have ever seen.

Sora no Woto, or Sound of the Sky in English, is a 2010 war anime. War is this title’s main theme, but a viewer will find many other genres in this amazing title, including themes of yuri, GAR, moe, humor, psychological drama and horror, mecha, religion, mild fanservice and much more. Sora no Woto brings so much to the table, and what it brings ... is definitley worth seeing.

Some may compare the art-style and character designs to that of K-ON! Well, I must admit: Kanata Sorami, the main character of Sora no Woto, does look an awful lot like Yui Hirasawa, the main character from K-ON! Because of this “moe” style, the characters in Sora no Woto are often kawaii and cute, even to the point of sometimes being “derpy.”

The show also deals with many controversial issues, such as the moral implications of an army using female child soldiers, the perils of underage drinking, and the absence of morality in war. Underneath many of Sora no Woto's seemingly innocent and light-hearted scenes lie some of mankind's darkest impulses. Sora no Woto is a great title in the fact that it can be at once both funny and horrifying.

Sora no Woto is a sleeper hit of true creativity and deep story-telling in an industry that is, for better or worse, saturated with light-hearted “moe” titles. Unfortunately, the fans prefer the latter. I'm all for silly, non-sensical moe stuff from time to time, but serious works of art like Sora no Woto are needed to break up the monotony and add some variety to things. I feel a little offended that this stupendous title isn’t more well-known or discussed in anime circles. But I guess that would just be a popularity contest. Yet if Sora no Woto was more popular, that would be great because more people would be aware of this great show, and be able to watch it.

Only then can they realize that these moments are the future…

Totoro was the very first anime I ever watched. I was five when I saw it for the first time, and since then Totoro has had a special place in my heart and the giant tree in my back-yard too.

It's not quite Miyazaki's best, but My Neighbor Totoro is up there. For an 80's anime, it's quite modern and flashy compared to other 80's anime. Totoro's audio, art, and animation is all very smooth and flawless. The characters are all very lovable and easy to connect with, each one grows on you even after knowing them for a few short seconds.

Totoro is a ... great anime for anyone of any age. It's a great starter's anime (as was my case) and those with numerous anime titles under their belt can enjoy it too.

Grave of the Fire-flies is arguably Studio Ghibli's best non-Miyazaki film.

In the waning years of World War II, most of Japan has been devastated by Allied bombing operations. The struggling nation is losing the war fast, and it people desparate for the conflict's end.

Among these people is a young boy named Seita and his even younger sister Setsuko.

The story of these two children in Grave of the Fire-flies is a vast contrast to many if not most of the rest of Studio Ghibli's titles. Rather than colorful, bright, and generally happy movies, this film shows the horrors and misfortunes of war a lot better ... than a number of big-time "Hollywood" action movies, and it does so with almost no big-scale battle scenes or massive amount of people dying. In this regard, Grave of the Fireflies is quite materful.

OVAs usually aren't as "good" as an actual series, nor are OVA's held with as high regard as an acual series.

The Strike Witches OVA is a stark exception.


In my opinion, this pilot episode of sorts is actually better than the main Strike Witches series, far better really, and I'll explain why.

The first 30 seconds of the Strike Witches OVA are some of the most awesome moments I've ever seen in any anime. The blue sky, saturated with white clouds, is penetrated by a rising and bright yellow sun. An epic orchestra is building up to a climax. As a blast of brass and ... drums sound, the brave lasses of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing come gloriously into view, each Witch gettng a little face-shot so that the viewer can get an idea of who the characters are. The roar of their mighty Striker Units fills your ears, almost as if the Witches have flown out of the sceeen and just blazed right past you. They ride hopefully on into the horizon until they disappear from sight. The Strike Witches logo then appears and slams onto the screen in a fancy manner, as an ear-splitting rifle report signals stars to appear. The insruments that have been playing all the while give one last victorious "umph!" right as the words "Strike Witches" clashes onto the screen.

And this is all within 30 seconds. My hair stands on end and I get chills every time I see it. I deeply wish this was the canon opening for the actual Strike Witches series, because the actual opening to me is quite boring, bland, and uncreative. The show would be so much better if it was.

The rest of the show is also pretty amazing. The biggest difference between this OVA and Strike Witches 1-12 is the art. It is not as flashy or fleshed-out, but I think it looks better. The "lesser" quality of the art is appealing to me. It's kind of kawaii in it's own unique way. Sometimes, the characters are shabbily drawn in a QUALITY style. But this is appealing in its own regard.

Another thing this OVA has that I wish was in the main series is Yoshika's tiny pet dog. He only appears for a second, but he's pretty cute and could have made Strike Witches 1-12 even better. But alas, he it not, instead being confined to the OVA and the manga.

The Strike Witches' hairstyles are also different. Yoshika, the main character's hair, is the most noticable, as it looks vaguely like cat-ears. Again, I wish the designers kept this look in the main series.

There is also a distinct lact of fan-service in the Strike Witches OVA, especially when compared to the amount found in the main series. This might be a good thing, as it leaves more room for creative writing and pointful scenes. Not that some fan-service is a bad thing, just too much of it is, and Strike Witches really is pushing the "too much" button.

The plot of the OVA is a summary of the Strike Witches world, showing the day-to-day lifes and struggles of the Strike Witches. The OVA plays out like a regular Strike Witches episode and gives the viewer a generalization of what Strike Witches is all about.

I can hardly say enough good things about this anime. it is what Strike Witches should be, and sadly could have been. Either way, this OVA and Strike Witches are great animes worth watching.

Panty and Stocking: With Garter-Belt (or PSG for short) is quite possibly the worse anime of all time, and I’ll explain why.


Seemingly in accordance with Gainax tradition, PSG contains many deep themes of religion, sin, and the struggle between morality and evil. However, it lacks angelic mechs and forehead-limbs. And unlike another religion-themed Gainax title, this show is disappointingly shallow and paralyzingly uncreative. It is pretty much the Japanese equivalent of South Park. (indeed, one segment of the show is done in a “South Park” animation style) With sex-jokes, racism, swearing, and more fan-service and innuendo than some hentai titles all throughout the show, ... PSG is as unmodest as it is bad.

In my opinion, PSG had potential, lots of it, but the way PSG's creators put (or rather, threw) things togeather fail horribly. I forget where I read it, but I once saw something that claimed PSG’s creators were often drunk or getting drunk during the show’s production. Now, I don’t know if this is true or not, and I kind of doubt they were intoxicated ALL the time, but after watching a few episodes of PSG on the internet, I could see the creators being under the influence of some kind of drug at one point during this show’s creation. And really I only watched one episode. That was all I could muster. Anything else and I think my face would have exploded after turned redder than Scanty's skin.

I have to give one thing to Panty and Stocking: it has quite an awesome Original Sound-Track (OST), which consists mainly of techno and dance music, as well as some pop-rockish stuff. The songs play at various points throughout the show to increase the impact of the scene. PSG's sound-track it one of its few redeeming features.

Another thing that I gleaned from this show was probably the only truly thought-provoking theme of the show, and that is the division between East and West.

Traditional Japanese animation won’t be found in this show, because PSG looks something like a combination of two American cartoons: Invader Zim and The Power-Puff Girls. This is the struggle between Eastern animation and Western animation. Panty, a bona-fide WASP in a red dress and high-heels loves sex and has the dirtiest mouth this side of the Pacific Ocean. Plus she is proud of it and doesn't hide this fact. If anything, she goes out of her way to let people know just how raunchy she is.

Panty is a stereotype of the West, while the relatively quiet and much more modest Stocking represents the East. Stocking's gothic/lolita attire is also a theme of East-Asian, or more specifically, Japanese culture, as such garb is popular among cosplayers of all sorts.

In that regard, Hiroyuki Imaishi, the "creator" of Panty and Stocking had a Panty-like character in his 2002 Title, “Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi.” The American, as this guy is called, is a blatant stereotype of Americans. This guy is on screen for less than a minute, but he’s by far my favorite character in the show. Due to his brand of humor being jam-packed into >60 seconds, it is so much funnier than the humor of PSG, which overdoes its crude humor by shoving it down your throat every single damn episode. Panty is funny for about a minute, then becomes overplayed, drawn-out, and forced.

The f**king American was a lot f**king funnier. F**k yeah!

Overall, Panty and Stocking with Garter-Belt has more cons than pros. It’s few redeeming features are ok in their own regard, but them being stuck in a crap show like this hinders their impact. Only watch this show if you don't mind losing a few I.Q. points, or your virginity for that matter.

/end gigantic wall of text review.

Azumanga Daioh: The mother of slice-of-life anime? I think so.

Azumanga Daioh is one of the definitive animes of the 2000's, and deservedly so. Azumanga is a great slice-of-life anime, which means that it shows the viewer the everyday lifes of the characters. In Azumanga Daioh's case, the characters are six high-school girls who must have the most interesting teachers of all time. In between Yukari's drunkenness and Kimura's lust for underage girls, the girls somehow seem to stay sane and take their senseis' antics in stride.

Azumanga is as enjoyable as the first viewing even after many re-watches. it just never gets old. In my mind, ... and surely many other's, Azumanga is one of the best animes of all time.

Azumanga Web Daioh, while very short, is probably one of the best-looking animes I have seen. it's art style is extremely good, and looks different than Azumanga 1-26. The lighting, colors, and animations of character movement is superb. If only the original Azumanga series looked like this!

The art style is probably the most unique aspect of this anime. Some scenes are done in 3d, so that it looks and even feels like you are actually in the anime, and the perspective puts you in the shoes of Chiyo-Chan and Tomo via a first-person perspective.

It is a great treat for Azumanga fans or just anime ... fans in general.

"Azumanga Daioh: The Very Short Movie" is essentially a flashy, spiced-up episode of Azumanga Daioh.

With a run-time of about six minutes, the show summarizes the original plot of the 26-episode Azumanga series, and it does so pretty well by combining many of the show's jokes, character interactions, plots, and themes in a way that doesn't feel forced or ham-handed. This show is pretty good in that regard.

The story is a typical scene from any random Azu episode. It takes place in Miss Yukari's class-room, and features the main girls doing their usual thing. The plot has many twists, even for such a short ... show. I don't want to spoil anything, but if you've watched/read Azumanga, it will be very familiar.

The art is especially notable and good. It is much better than the original 26-ep. Azumanga, but this is not to say Azumanga doesn't have good art to begin with. But in the movie, the art is even better. Perhaps to stick to the idea of a "movie," the art seems to have had more time, effort, and money put into it. The character's animations are smoother, the colors brighter and more vibrant, the lines sharper. it is a good look for Azumanga, and I like it.

The sound is good, but in my opinion it is no better (or worse) than Azumanga 1-26. It is clear and understandable. As for the Japanese AND English voice-actors, they are the same as those who voiced Azu 1-26.

The characters are quirky, unique, and each one funny in their own special way. Their actions and antics are similar to Azumanga 1-26. Those who've seen the original series will not feel alienated. The old characters are still themselves.

The Azumanga movie is just as enjoyable as a regular episode of Azu, but it is unfortnately quite short. Just when you are getting into it, it ends. Yet, the show is quite enjoyble, and fun, for veteran Azu fans or newcomers to the Azumanga or even anime world.

Overall, "Azumanga Daioh: The Very Short Movie" is a good watch that I certainly recommened, either as a compliment to Azumanga Daioh 1-26 or a stand-alone watch. But if you watch this short movie before Azumanga 1-26, some of the jokes may confuse you, as the show assumes you've already watched Azu 1-26.